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Mike Sacks is an accomplished humor writer, but in the Potomac native's first book, "And Here's the Kicker, Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on Their Craft," he turns the lens on the legends.

The book features Sacks' interviews about life and technique with such writers as Dave Barry, David Sedaris and Dick Cavett. Each chapter focuses on one writer, with Sacks' queries and the writer's answers set in a transcript-like format.

"I wanted to ask some questions that weren't necessarily asked before," the 1986 Winston Churchill High School graduate says.

He also sought to evoke responses that would be useful to novice humor writers interested in advancing their careers.

Twenty to 30 hours of research went into his preparations for each interview. Of the 40 writers interviewed, only 21 made the cut. Sacks asks bold and varied questions of the writers, each of whom donated between five and 10 hours of for the interviews.

He worked on the project seven days a week, 365 days a year, for two years.

"I got a little obsessive," he says. "My poor wife was very, very patient."

Topics include how they got started in the business, why they like the genre and how their life experiences affect their humor. He interviews Sedaris at length about allegations that his books are more fiction than memoir. He asks Todd Hanson how long he wrote for The Onion without getting paid. And he questions Larry Wilmore about what it's like to be "Senior Black Correspondent" for "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

Mixed in with the interviews are lists of advice for aspiring humor writers, addressing such subjects as how to find an agent and how to get published.

Sacks went through several illustrators before settling on Brooklyn-based artist Tae Won Yu to create portraits of each writer. Yu incorporated some aspect of the individual's interview in his artwork.

An accomplished humor writer himself, Sacks' work has appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, McSweeney's and Esquire. He now writes both humor and non-fiction for Vanity Fair, but has long gravitated toward humor writing.

"It's the type of writing I liked and the type of writing I like to read," he says.

Sacks wasn't surprised to learn that many of the writers he talked to suffer from depression. But he was not expecting to hear that many suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a disorder Sacks has coped with as well. Still, he says, it does make sense since humor is all about "trying to get a grasp" on life and answer questions that have no answers.

While acknowledging that his post at Vanity Fair helped him reach the spokesmen for the writers he interviewed, he didn't have a personal connection to most of them.

He ran into a particular reluctance from female humor writers. Only two of the book's 21 writers are female.

"I begged Tina Fey for two years," Sacks says, but to no avail.

In addition to its entertainment value for general readers, Sacks says the book has the greatest appeal for those in the business or wanting to get into the business.

"I don't necessarily think it is that important. There are many subjects that are of more significance," he says. "But for humor writers, I think it's important, especially if you're just starting out, because there's really nothing else out there like this."

"And Here's the Kicker, Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on Their Craft" is available for purchase online at www.amazon.com and at www.andheresthekicker.com.